Rapid Extraction of Volatiles from Excavated Icy Regolith Using a Rotary Extraction Drum

The utilization of lunar water enables spacecraft fuel, water for colonization, and radiation shielding. To make use of the water, an industrial scale volatile extraction process is required. Current literature shows in situ extracting of volatiles from lunar regolith is difficult and doesn’t scale well. Supplying heat to subsurface ice is difficult due to the thermal conductivity properties of regolith. And subsurface water vapor has difficulty moving through dry regolith which has low permeability. These conditions are amplified when the ice weight content is low. This study will show, that extraction of volatiles from excavated icy regolith is simplified through the use of a rotary extraction drum. A rotational system extracts 99% of volatiles, regardless of ice weight content in as little as three hours. This study also quantifies the energy consumed during extraction at varying water concentrations of cryogenic icy regolith simulants. An industrial scaled version is discussed to show how a single rotary extraction drum is able to process 1 mT of icy regolith every three hours.